What Would You Do: The Halfling Problem

[Samnell]

My last character was a halfling rogue/psion. He worked for the Halfling Mafia. I envisioned the mafia as sort of a weird cross between the Moose Lodge and the French Resistance. They weren't of necessity evil, but in a world where big people could throw their weight around and were in control of most things, we small folk had to stick out for our own. You never preyed upon another halfling. You were there to serve them and watch out for them. There were probably paladin mafiosi.

The DM took my portrayal of oppressed halflings to a bit of an extreme, in true late Thirties, early Forties style.

That character died, so I made a new PC. Forrester is a halfling abjurer. He's also affiliated with the Family. Forrester finds out through his contacts in the mafia that a city in the North had received word of a bounty out on halflings. Any halfling head will get you 5000gp. Word spread fast and quickly reached the town Forrester and the party were in. His excuse for running into them was to warn the halfling cleric in the party. The northern town that first heard of the bounty quickly exterminated their halfling community. Two fortunate hin survived.

After returning to town from wrapping up an adventure, the party discovered that word of the bounty had reached their town. Forrester and his clerical comrade Kalie were abducted by a pair of half-orc adventurers. Since the party had spent a fair bit of gold on a healing wand that only Kalie could use and left Forrester with 2000gp to buy wizard supplies from the mafia (no non-halfling in town would sell to him), they rushed to the rescue.

After the gnome who witnessed our kidnapping bought himself some healing potions. He thought it more important to buy potions for himself than let his friends know that we were being taken away. I question his priorities.

After a day or so chase, the party came on the half-orcs and in a battle where Forrester's and Kalie's childhood friend Gaspar died, we were rescued. Our suffocated bodies were back in friendly hands.

The party, seeing its investment in magic going to waste and having money to spare with the half-orcs treasure in hand, raised all three of us. We made for what we hoped would be safe ground, our home village of Ket.

Here, my wizard has no access to wizardly supplies, so he can't expand his spellbook, scribe scrolls, summon a familiar or do much of anything. Maybe I'll buy a riding dog. We gave warning to the local mafia that we were a wanted people and after dividing up the treasure, that's where we left off.

I almost had Forrester refuse to be raised. If the DM hadn't been counting down the time for me to make a decision I may have left him for dead.

So Forrester, Kalie, and to some degree Gaspar are opposed to the Final Solution to the Halfling Problem. (The DM informed us outright that the goal of the bounty was to exterminate the halfling race.)

We range from first level (Forrester, shame on me for dying and losing all the XP I earned) to third (with Kalie and Gaspar at second thanks to their raising). We know that word of the bounty will come to the humans of Ket eventually. They already exhibit some anti-halfling sentiment, so odds are they're going for the money.

What should we do?

EDIT: I've been informed that Gaspar is very interested in helping the halflings survive.

 

[randcortin]

I thought I might add that while some cities have networks of tunnels for the halflings to hide in, some villages like Ket are basically out in the open, you want halflings you get halflings type of setup. I've already pressed to Samnell that Forrester needs to convince the mafia don to pick up and run for the hills, and I mean NOW.

Also, while the two Halflings, Kalie and Forrester, are obviously against the Final Solution, and Gaspar is sympathetic to the halfling cause, the group leader (by leader I mean the person who has the most D&D experience and always seems to make the decisions) Demik, human, and Clockwork, gnome, would probably care less if the halflings were wiped out. The other two PC's that were absent today, a dwarven bard and an elven druid, probably aren't that much better. How can we convince our own party members that the halflings are worth saving?

 

[Gaius]

5,000 gold bounty!? Three words; richest.......city.......ever. Here's the solution to your problem. Wait until the city goes bankrupt and/or is in economic ruin. With a bounty like that, it shouldn't take long.

Gaius

 

[Samnell]

5,000 gold bounty!? Three words; richest.......city.......ever. Here's the solution to your problem. Wait until the city goes bankrupt and/or is in economic ruin. With a bounty like that, it shouldn't take long.

They spent decades doing an apparently similar thing to minotaurs and aren't broke yet. I don't think my DM knows much about economics.

However they're raising the money, they're likely to be able to afford it for at least long enough to get a lot of halflings killed and some more even after before news gets out that they're not paying. These aren't reasonable people and we don't have the resources of a nation-state to clobber them with. So how do I save my people?

And what randcortin said...how do we convince the other half of the party that we shouldn't be executed? I've emailed the DM asking of my PC knows of any racial refuges or legends thereof (think Valinor, but for halflings) or any all-halfling settlements or kingdoms to flee too, but he's probably asleep by now so I haven't heard back.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I noticed you mentioned Ket in your post. If that's Greyhawk Ket, perhaps you could get the halflings to pack up and move. In Furyondy or Veluna, the law would most likely take a dim view of people murdering halflings for a bounty paid by some northern city. If the worst came to the worst, all the halflings could start worshipping Pholtus and move to the Theocracy of the Pale. They tend to protect Pholtans there, don't take kindly to lawbreaking (like murder), are suspicious of foreigners (like the people offering the bounty) and are pretty isolated from the North and East by the Rakers mountains.

If it's not Greyhawk but you just have a Ket in your world, I guess that doesn't apply although immigration is a good idea.

Alternately, the halflings could bond together all living in a small community and looking out for each other. From my understanding, the bounty sounds like it would be paid to individuals rather than groups and individuals might well be put off by the prospect of invading the halfling town. Alternately, the mafia could do what real mafias do: make a very public example of anyone who came into town advertising or collecting the bounty. After a few would be bounty hunters or rumor mongers were drawn, quartered and left in the market square for public viewing, people might be hesitant to come after the halflings.

As an interim solution, you might start spreading rumors that the bounty isn't actually collectable--it's all a ploy by the northern city to weaken Ket through infighting so that they can invade and conquer a weaker land. In fact, the local nobility might be convinced of this. If so, they might very well order the public vivisection of anyone spreading news of the bounty or attempting to collect it.

Ultimately, however, you would eventually have to take on the city that is offering the bounty and eliminate the leadership, eliminate the entire city, or convince them to cease and desist.

 

[Samnell]

If it's not Greyhawk but you just have a Ket in your world, I guess that doesn't apply although immigration is a good idea.

That's what we're thinking. It's not Greyhawk Ket, just a coincidence.

Alternately, the halflings could bond together all living in a small community and looking out for each other. From my understanding, the bounty sounds like it would be paid to individuals rather than groups and individuals might well be put off by the prospect of invading the halfling town. Alternately, the mafia could do what real mafias do: make a very public example of anyone who came into town advertising or collecting the bounty. After a few would be bounty hunters or rumor mongers were drawn, quartered and left in the market square for public viewing, people might be hesitant to come after the halflings.

That's possible, but I'm not sure the humans wouldn't band together on the promise to share the bounty into groups of skilled individuals dedicated to eradicating the halflings...adventurers of a different sort. We've heard rumors that this is all the fault of some halfling wizard (who happens to be a former PC of mine who had no choice in what he did, but we don't know that IC) who brought ruin to the bounty granting city. If halflings are scapegoated, then very public examples of our will to defend ourselves may just strengthen the resolve of the opposition.

As an interim solution, you might start spreading rumors that the bounty isn't actually collectable--it's all a ploy by the northern city to weaken Ket through infighting so that they can invade and conquer a weaker land. In fact, the local nobility might be convinced of this. If so, they might very well order the public vivisection of anyone spreading news of the bounty or attempting to collect it.

That's a good idea. Gaspar is some kind of local nobility, so he'll have some pull. When our bard shows up again, he might be able to help in the persuading. Then again he's a dwarf, so maybe not.

Ultimately, however, you would eventually have to take on the city that is offering the bounty and eliminate the leadership, eliminate the entire city, or convince them to cease and desist.

I don't think we'd have a lot of hope of convincing the city. It's run by paladins with a big lawful streak that goes towards evil, last we heard.

I'm thinking we need havens. Places where we can protect the refugees and flee to if the humans come too fast and too close. I think Forrester's next level may be as a rogue for the sneaky skills.

 

[tburdett]

Ruin it for your DM. Just roll over and die. Do nothing.

Anytime I see a DM who inflicts this type of stupidity on his players I will heartily encourage them to ruin it for him.

Any DM who would use the holocaust as the basis for an adventure is sick and depraved.

I am not Jewish, but I spent the summer travelling through Europe as part of a foreign exchange and visited many of the death camps during that time.

The first feeling I had was of immense sorrow. Men, women, and children were murdered for simply being different. Can you imagine YOUR child being dragged into one of these camps and murdered? Your brother or sister? Your parents? My feelings of sorrow were quickly replaced by feelings of rage. And eventually my feelings finally settled into a mixture of both, and more. I openly cried at times while visiting these places. They are the epitome of hell on earth.

Your DM belittles their horrific pain and suffering by using this event in his campaign.

 

[Sarellion]

After I have followed your other threads for a while I am wondering if it is the revenge of the DM, killing the chars of the players who opposed his house rule and exterminating their favored race. That the other character don´t care about the halflings isn´t a good sign either.
It seems the rest of the group is out to get ya and that the group is split in two factions. If this is going on, that he is picking on you and your partners I would advise to speak about it and if the others aren´t reasonable about it, leave the group and found a new one.

By the way 5000 gp is ridiculously high. Do they have any reasons to hate halflings?

In game solution would be to fight back and die gloriously or emigrate if other regions don´t kill halflings, too. Another possibilty is to explain the halfling cause to the major churches of the area and get their help. They could proclaim against this evil act, givng shelter to refugees and so on. There could be also power groups who would help you, out of friendship or political enmity against the halfling haters. As far as I understood, the city isn´t giving the reward but some other source. Do you have a clue who is paying the rewards?

 

[Sarellion]

Your PC wizard brought ruin to the city and they are still able to hand out rewards to kill all halfling? Oh yeah.

It was a PC of yours? Hm, look on my previous post. The DM is going to get you.

 

[Samnell]

After I have followed your other threads for a while I am wondering if it is the revenge of the DM, killing the chars of the players who opposed his house rule and exterminating their favored race. That the other character don´t care about the halflings isn´t a good sign either.

It's something we've discussed a bit. I'm a halfling fanatic, I'll admit. I feel the most for the PCs and enjoy them more when they're halflings, minimum height, minimum weight. If I'm small, I want to be REALLY small. It's new in 3e too, I used to be big on elves. I'm not sure if we're being deliberately singled out or if the DM's just doing his usual habit of taking any role-playing hook we give him and using it to our extreme disadvantage. All I ever got out of being a halfling mafiosi was a night's sleep at a safehouse (which I overpaid for since the PC had to leave town and couldn't pay the Family back with a job instead) and the warning about the bounty.

By the way 5000 gp is ridiculously high. Do they have any reasons to hate halflings?

The DM invented one from a past campaign in the same world. I had a halfling wizard, Milo Melancott, who was going for the alienist PrC. He was a blast to play, always ranting about tentacles and all that.

But Milo had awful, awful luck. His first adventure saw him permanently lose 3 points of Con. He was thrown in with a bunch of magically brainwashed followers of an ultra-lawful god named Sandrososan. In particular, we were in the service of Lord Marcus...who more often than not thought he was Sandrososan.

We cleared a mine for him and then he sent us south to a city named Masticore carrying a potion to heal the leader of the city there, a paladin of an allied faith. Trolls killed most of the party, but with luck Milo and Angelleo (the party's elf fighter/wizard) got the potion back and went on our way.

Then one night we were attacked by drow. There were way too powerful for us. A rogue and a monk. The rogue took out Angelleo and Milo tried to flee on a hasted riding dog with the potion tied up in a small chest secured behind him in the saddle. The monk easily kept up with Milo and offered him the choice of death or surrendering the potion. Milo, not being committed at all to Lord Marcus (a dangerous fanatic to him) or this southern city (he was very self-interested, I'll confess) gave up the potion.

Later he ended up in the city and reunited with Angelleo, who hadn't died after all. But the rogue planted the chest and broken potion vial in his room at an inn, which led the authorities to believe he'd willingly destroyed it and thus killed their leader. Despite truth-detecting magic the locals were convinced that Milo was responsible and locked him up. He only got free through a cooperative jailbreak with Angelleo (who was locked up too) which was masterminded by none other than the master of the drow who got us into this mess in the first place, a powerful shadow mage lich.

The DM informed us that the anti-halfling bias goes back to Milo's exploits. He later died at the hands of a bounty hunter on an errand for the lich master he was at best reluctantly serving.

In game solution would be to fight back and die gloriously or emigrate if other regions don´t kill halflings, too. Another possibilty is to explain the halfling cause to the major churches of the area and get their help. They could proclaim against this evil act, givng shelter to refugees and so on. There could be also power groups who would help you, out of friendship or political enmity against the halfling haters. As far as I understood, the city isn´t giving the reward but some other source. Do you have a clue who is paying the rewards?

The city of Masticore, which is controlled now by Lord Marcus...who has a huge mithril mine in his own home city. We don't know this IC, though. Masticore is also the source of the bounty for the reasons above.

You have a point about the churches. We have a travelling healer goddess who's fairly goodly and might get involved. It was a cleric of her's that raised Forrester and Kalie after they died last session.